Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
BELLAMY
My vision is blurry as I blink to clear it. There are bars above my head, and when I reach out to the side, my fingers receive a sharp jolt, making me hiss softly. I believe in testing my boundaries, as it would be dumb to believe that a cage can hold me if it’s not locked.
Forcing myself to stay calm, despite the fact that I know I’m in deep shit, I glance to the side to see that I’m in a cage alone. The sides are electrified somehow, except for the wood panel I’m laying on. It’s also much smaller than the cages I’ve lived in before with Winter.
Due to the cage’s size, all I can do is scrunch my tall, naked body so it doesn’t touch any of the walls.
At some point between being taken and put in the cage, I was also stripped of my clothes, which means I'm as naked as the day I was born.
Winter! I yell in my head through our soul bond.
My eyes continue to take in the room I’m currently alone in, categorizing information despite how fuzzy my mind feels, and I begin to realize how cold I am.
The air feels stale, metallic, and old, much like when I once went through the underground caves on a vacation with Winter and my parents.
We built some really good memories while they were alive. Now, they only exist in my mind.
My heart pounds as I fight against the claustrophobic suspicion that the ground is pressing down around me and the knowledge that I’m in this tiny cage. I’m caught…again.
How many times can an omega fucking get kidnapped?!
I can hear clicking heels somewhere nearby, and my anxiety ratchets up even higher.
My memories get clearer with each step, and I remember how I went for a piss at the restroom, and while I waited outside for Cass and Winter, things went pear shaped.
The line was insanely long for the women’s side, so I knew I’d be waiting for a while.
People were moving in and out of the restrooms while I leaned against a stone column, going about their business.
I thought nothing of the press of bodies, right up until a needle slid into my throat. The coolness as it slid through my veins made me stumble, and a strong arm banded around my chest to keep me upright.
The sedative worked too well on me, and everything felt heavy around me as I batted my arm around to get away.
I heard Jake’s voice tell people I’d had too much to drink, the betrayal hitting me harder than the sedative that made me more pliable.
My body wouldn’t work right. I couldn’t fight, and as soon as we got further away from the crowd, a blow to my temple erased any possibility of escape as I passed out.
God, the guys have to be freaking out, and I don’t know if Madam Clara took Cassidy too. I’d recognize those footsteps anywhere, and it’s no surprise to me as she walks into the room.
The bitch appears the same as always with her perfect skirt suit and heels, and I swear I want to stab her in the temple with the goddamned weapons on her feet.
“Good, you’re awake,” she drawls. “I think the girls had too high of a dose. They’re still asleep. That’s not an issue, though. It’ll give us time to chat.”
Pushing myself up so I’m hunching in a sitting position in the cage, I glare at her warily. I keep my thoughts to myself, because the only one Madam Clara typically wants to hear speak is herself.
She has high standards for the bullshit she puts out into the world, so I’ll allow her to speak. Besides, it’s not like I can do much about it. I’m not even fucking wearing underwear, so I keep my legs closed to hide myself as I remain silent. At least the cold is helping me out here.
“Still the strong and silent type?” she muses, her hand moving from behind her body to show a rod with prongs on it.
Great, more electric shocks. Could she maybe get something new? I’m already bored.
Madam Clara obviously has a plan, and it involves us living. I have no issues making sure her attention is aimed at me for as long as possible. The longer she ignores Winter, the better.
“What would you like to know?” I ask, coughing slightly at how dry my mouth is. Now that I’m sitting up, I can also admit that my brain feels as if it’s been rattled around and then put through a blender.
It’s not a pleasant feeling.
“There are bites on your body,” she sneers. “Honestly, are you and your sister that needy that you packed up with the first alphas who would have you? You’re only making this harder on yourself.”
“When they were handing out jobs in elementary school, and asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, was a raging cunt the one you got?” I ask without thinking.
Madam Clara’s fingers press against the electrical prod so hard that they go bloodless, while I widen my eyes in innocence.
What? It’s a good question.
“Everyone else sells omegas, or needs them for their businesses. Don’t make me the villain by contributing to society,” she mutters.
“Someone released my omegas, and they all ran away. I know you’ll make me really good money, especially if I turn the auction into a performance.
I’ve been learning a lot from my new friend. ”
A woman who may only be a little older than me walks quickly out into the room. She has long black hair back in a braid, and she’s wearing cargo pants with a sweater zipped up. It must be nice to be able to wear comfy clothes, huh?
“I really should have filled the syringes with the sedative. I don’t trust your men with dosages,” she complains to Madam Clara. “There’s no one for me to play with.”
“He’s awake,” Clara says, pressing the rod against the wall of my prison so it snaps with electricity.
I can’t help flinching as she does it, as I know exactly how much touching these walls hurt.
“I prefer women,” the unknown woman sniffs. “They’re more fun to break.”
Looking for the bond, I can feel that Winter is still asleep, and I can’t help but beg for her to continue the way she is.
“It’s too damn bad,” Madam Clara snarls. “Can you or can’t you break the bonds he clearly has?”
“Break? You can’t break them,” I scoff. “They’re forever.”
“Not anymore,” the woman sing-songs with a creepy giggle. “The dosage I give always makes a difference, and I’ve found that the omega’s body has to be very tired for it to work. However, it does work.”
“We have a female alpha for you to play with too, Avery,” Madam Clara says with a sly grin.
“Why?” I ask. “What can you do with a female alpha?”
“Have her fucked to death before we bring out the main course, perhaps?” she muses, shrugging.
“At the very least, if you care about her, it’ll help me keep you in line.
You don’t get a happy ending, Bellamy. You’re too vulnerable and pretty.
The only thing you’re worthy of is making me money.
You’re well hidden here, so don’t bother with hope. No one will find you.”
“You are pretty,” Avery murmurs, walking around the cage with pursed lips. “Even though I’m not really a fan of men.”
“Eh, he’s kind of androgynous,” Madam Clara says callously. “Would you like to begin your treatment now? We don’t have much time before the auction.”
“My alphas are going to kill you,” I say softly, pursing my lips as I listen to them talk.
I need to feel the way the words taste in my mouth, and I find they still hold weight and truth. I can feel my bond with Abbott too, and it’s full of anger and frustration. As an empath, I feel things fuller than others, which is why I always think about my step-sister first.
Her feelings are bigger than my own at times, and I have to honor them.
If I really concentrate, I can also feel Cassidy, and I feel a wave of protective instinct overwhelm me. I refuse to give up, despite being told to.
As an empath, I can also feel the intentions of those around me.
Madam Clara? Avery? All I can feel from them is cruelty and bitterness. It’s not my fault no one loved them, nor that they feel they need to lash out at others.
I don’t want to be the butt of their jokes or the brunt of their anger, but I will be if it saves Winter and Cassidy from it for as long as possible.
Taking a deep breath, I promise myself that I’ll protect my bonds from being cut for as long as possible, knowing that whatever happens to me will also be felt on some level by Winter.
So I watch and wait, paying attention to the way they bicker. They are allies by necessity, not actually because they enjoy each other’s company.
“Fine,” Avery sighs. “Get him out and I’ll play. Let me go get a few things. Shove him in the wet spa.”
Madam Clara smirks as Avery leaves, rolling her eyes.
“I promise you, it’s not nearly as nice as she pretends it is,” she says. “Ebert! Jake! Get your asses over here.”
My muscles are locking up between the effects of the sedative and the cold, so I have no idea what to expect as the men walk into the room. The walls of this odd building are made of steel, and it all reminds me of an underground bunker I once saw in a movie.
“Let me begin by making it clear that no one can hear you if you decide to scream,” Madam Clara says.
“Winchell is very upset that his business was burnt down. He’s the owner of The Hug Project, and he believes I owe him money.
The man is a shark, but he does have lovely accommodations to help me repay him. No one will find this place, Bellamy.”
I force my hands to not touch my wrists, knowing there’s key information they don’t have. My bracelet to signal for help might be gone, but the tracker under my skin is not. I’m not sure if Jake knows about it or not, however I would rather not take any chances.
It’s my only hope of being found, I just hope being underground won’t affect it. There’s so much I don’t understand about the techy parts of my failsafes. I still have faith. I have to.
Jake’s handed the keys to the cage, and he walks over dispassionately.
“Don’t break the merchandise,” Madam Clara growls. “By the way, Bellamy. Did you know that if you die, your alphas probably will too?”